A storm from Apollo
Cyrus
was touched. He reflected that, being but a man himself, he was about to burn a
fellow man once as powerful as himself. Relenting, Cyrus ordered the fire to be
quenched, but the flames were by this time too fierce to be extinguished.
Becoming aware that the Persians now had the will to reprieve him, Croesus
cried out for help to the Greek god Apollo, who sent a storm to douse the
flames. Cyrus, seeing that the gods favoured Croesus, liberated him, and sat
him by his side as a friend.
Later,
watching Persian soldiers sack Sardis, Croesus asked Cyrus what they were
doing. ‘Sacking your city and plundering your riches,’ answered Cyrus. ‘Not so,
replied Croesus. ‘They are ravaging what now belongs to you.’ Cyrus, ready to profit
from another’s wisdom, ordered his soldiers to stop the sack of Sardis. There
is, however, a Babylonian account of Cyrus’ war against Lydia which says of
Cyrus, ‘he killed its king’.
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| Guarded by a pair of huge, man headed bulls the gate-house of Persepolis, led to a city whose ruins |
The
Persians suddenly burst into history at the beginning of 547 Bc (the year of
Croesus’ defeat) when Cyrus, king of Anshan, of the Achaemenian family, united
the Medes and Persians (both Iranian peoples) into the single empire of Persia.
The speed with which Cyrus defeated Croesus, whose domains he immediately
annexed, took Lydia’s allies (Babylon, Egypt and Sparta) by surprise. Too late
to save Lydia, they nevertheless remained Cyrus’ enemies, powers which, if
unchecked, might destroy the rising power of Persia. Cyrus therefore decided
upon a preventive war. In 540 BC he struck at mighty Babylonia, took Babylon
itself in the following year, and annexed the Babylonian empire. As a result of
this action Persia extended from the borders of India to the Mediterranean and Arabia. Its might appeared as a
direct threat to Egypt, which was fast sinking into decline. Cyrus had created
this vast empire in little more than seven years. How had he done it?
Some
insight into Persian policy and diplomacy may be gained from the character of
Cyrus as portrayed by Herodotus in the story of Croesus. The Persians could be
ruthless in the pursuit of empire, but by comparison with their neighbours they
were seldom cruel. Cyrus avoided serious revolts in his conquered territories
not by instilling terror into his subjects, but rather by pursuing a policy of
toleration. He ruled Babylonia with the acquiescence of a large proportion of
the population, who preferred his rule to that of Nabonidus, the king whom he
supplanted. Nabonidus was opposed for his earlier neglect of the New Year
Festival at Babylon and for his interference with the established religion. In
particular, the priests of Marduk, Babylon’s city god, felt threatened by the
prominence given to the god Sin. Cyrus shrewdly appeased the priests and the
people by revoking the religious changes.
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